Five chores even a three year old can do

How early should kids be doing chores? That question seems to be tossed around on a regular basis on parenting blogs and in offline conversations. If you are a family that has decided that chores are a good practice for your kids, and you probably wouldn’t be reading this otherwise, it’s still tough to figure out when and how to get your kids involved.

Well, here at ChoreMonster we think that starting early is a good thing. After all, you aren’t going to entrust your children with more than they can handle. And if you do, well, you’re doing it wrong.

We recently released a new app to help you figure out not only what chores are appropriate for your kids at their age, but also how young they can start helping with chores. Every kid is different, but we feel pretty confident that these five chores are tasks that even your three year old can dominate.

– Hold the dust rag in one hand
– Wipe the rag over the dusty parts of furniture
– Sneeze!
– Put the rag in the dirty laundry bin
– Wash your hands

2) Put napkins on table – I like to think this is the gateway chore for a future table setter. And it actually gives you one less thing to do!

– Find the napkins
– Get the right number of napkins for your family
– Put one next to each plate
– Keep extras handy just in case

3) Help put away toys – There is a decent chance you are already asking your little one to help put toys away. Why not reward them for their help?

– Find all the things that belong to you that aren’t where they belong
– Pick each thing up
– Put each thing where it belongs
– Take a break — that was hard work! (Now get them all out again and play! Ok, wait a few minutes first)

4) Put laundry in hamper – If your kids can undress themselves, they can put their dirty laundry in the hamper. Imagine the space on their floor that will be freed up for activities!

– Wonder why your dirty laundry is on the floor
– Pick up the dirty laundry
– Put it inside the hamper
– Tell your parent that your laundry is ready to be washed

5) Help feed pets – As parents, we always tell our kids they can only have a pet if they help take care of the animal. What usually happens though, is we do all the work. Let your kids pitch in with feeding the pets to show them how important it is.